The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Primula plant, botanically known as Primula verisxc3x97Primula polyanthus, marketed under the trade name Katy McSparron, and hereinafter referred to by the name Prinic.
The new Primula is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in England. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new Primula cultivars with fully double flowers.
The new Primula originated from a cross made by the Inventor of an unnamed selection of Primula veris, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with an unnamed selection of Primula polyanthus, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Prinic was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in England in 1990.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by divisions taken at Pembrokeshire, Wales, has shown that the unique features of this new Primula are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Prinic have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, daylength, fertility level, and/or water status without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Prinicxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Prinicxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Fully double flowers that do not produce seed.
2. Dark yellow petal coloration.
3. Strongly fragrant flowers.
4. Long-lasting flowers.
Plants of the new Primula differ from plants of the female parent, the unnamed selection of Primula veris, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Primula have fully double flowers that do not produce seed whereas plants of the female parent have single flowers and produce seed.
2. Plants of the new Primula have a stronger fragrance than plants of the female parent.
3. Plants of the new Primula have longer-lasting flowers than plants of the female parent; flowers of the new Primula last about 20 days longer than flowers of the female parent.
Plants of the new Primula differ from plants of the male parent, the unnamed selection of Primula polyanthus, primarily in that plants of the new Primula have fully double flowers that do not produce seed whereas plants of the male parent have hose-in-hose flowers and produce seed.